China

China has seen a very palpable growth of its baseball in the past decade. The 2006 World Baseball Classic was regarded as a major stepping stone for the Chinese national team as they were getting ready for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Chinese catcher Wei Wang became the first player to hit a homerun in the World Baseball Classic in Team China's first round game against eventual champion Japan. In 2009, China eliminated Chinese Taipei from the World Baseball Classic with their first and only victory in the tournament. China's strongest performance came while hosting the 16th Asian Games, as they reached the semi-finals by going 2-1 in pool play.